1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable firefighting training unit which can be used to demonstrate the progression of a fire including flashovers and backdrafts.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The hazards of flashover, backdraft, smoke explosion and other forms of fire gas ignition need to be taught to firefighters. For this purpose steel shipping containers are frequently used to provide firefighters with the necessary understanding of fire behavior. In use, the container is loaded at one end with Class A combustibles with open and shut vents added to control air flow. Inside these cells, the firefighters may view the early stages of fire growth and examine first hand the production of unburned products of combustion combining with flammable gases given off by the pyrolyzing combustibles. They may witness the transformation of smoke to flame as pockets of unburned fuel in the smoke reach ignition and turn to flame. As the demonstration progresses, the firefighters may observe a flashover in the fuel-loaded end of the cell, witnessing the sudden but sustained transition from a developing to a fully developed fire. Variations on the shipping container have been designed, some of which are patented, and are used to demonstrate door entry techniques and backdraft.
The above mentioned equipment is very effective at training but is not available for training all firefighters including those belonging to volunteer departments because of cost, time and/or logistics. According to the National Fire Protection Association's U.S. fire department profile, about 70% of all firefighters in America are volunteers and the majority of career and volunteer fire departments having a limited training budget. Hence the number of firefighters possibly in need of training is not insignificant.
There are field training programs for firefighters and one of the pieces of equipment used for field training is what is called a “dolls house.” The components of the “dolls house” are cut from particle board and then glued or stapled together. The joints must be tight as the purpose of the prop is to simulate a single compartment fire with a single ventilation point. Making the dolls house is tedious and a new one must be constructed for each demonstration as it is burned. It would therefore be desirable to have a burnable teaching prop that is portable for field use but that does not need to stapled or glued together and is not expensive.